Howdy blogaroos. Happy last Sunday of January. We’re enjoying today – because tomorrow we will be stranded. We are in for some snowy weather. Not like a mega storm or anything – but enough to keep the Warden from going anywhere. I see a day of napping in our future.

So – the title of our blog today is NQ. According to the “Internet and text slang dictionary” , NQ means thank you. In some other contexts, NQ means newly qualified. What else could NQ mean? No questions? Noxious quirk? Never quiet? New quest?

Well I’m here to tell ya, in the dog world when one is competing in performance sports like obedience, or rally or agility, the letters NQ are not EXACTLY what one is hoping for. They stand for Non-qualifying. Or in laydog’s terms – buzzer – you failed. And that was me – and the Warden yesterday.

Now in all fairness – we’ve been a BIT slack in our training over our extended Christmas holidays. So WHY the Warden thought we should enter a CARO rally trial at the Advanced level is anybody’s guess. Sure – I got my CARO Rally Novice pretty easily – but that’s all on leash. Advanced is OFF leash – and the exercises include things like sending your dog to a jump from 10 feet away. Learning to do that the night before the trial is not advisable. Anyway – we paid our money, packed our bag and off we went yesterday.

Let me begin by saying that our biggest problem is not yours truly – but the Warden. She gets so crazy nervous, she can barely take off my leash when she enters the ring with me. My reaction is kinda “ewwww- what’s with you?” She’s all weird and shaky- so I go in wide eyed wondering what awaits us. Surely the floor is going to open and swallow both of us or something. Maybe the judge, who is the only person in the ring is going to throw darts at us or something. I mean WHAT CAN BE SO SCARY?! So then I get weird. And I forget what to do because I’m worrying about the catastrophe that surely must lie ahead.

Despite the shaky behaviors on both our parts, in the first trial we somehow managed a third place finish with a score of 191 out of 200. Yup – we qualified!!!!! Not bad – given that I only learned the jump in the basement the night before. I had to repeat it after doing it incorrectly the first time- so I lost 5 points right there – so we almost pulled off a 196. So, really, our first run was respectable. Quite respectable!

So on to Trial 2. In this one, the Warden appeared less nervous. But her brain was still misfiring and HER errors gave us the dreaded NQ. No quesadillas for supper. I TRIED to show her what to do – and get this – I did the jump on the first try. See- sometimes cramming works.

Anyway – I still took her home. She tried her best- so I’m not ready to trade her in for a new handler. Yet. And despite all of our shakies- we did have fun – and honestly, that’s what it’s all about.

We would have tried again today – but the trials today were full. I think I’ll just do some training with her today. Clearly she needs it.

In other news – we had some very sad news on our road. Remember our buddy, Jackson aka Pigpen? The black Lab who had a heart of gold – and who put up with a humping Picard and obnoxious PONs. Well, sadly at the age of 12, he went to the Rainbow Bridge after a short illness. We heard him barking at us from his yard just last week… We would always bark if we heard him, but if we gathered at the end of his driveway it was waggy tails all around. He was THE perfect Lab. The road won’t be the same with him gone…

No doubt he and Viktor are chasing bumpers. And Viktor is watching Jackson dive into the water to get one. Remember- he liked ALL kinds of water – and the muckiest, the better. Yup – he was ALL Lab….and a very good boy….

Well, I better get going and finish the party planning. You DO know what party I’m talking about? Of course you do. I’m fearful though that the weather tomorrow may make it difficult for the band and all the guests to come. It’s a big day. No worries though – we’ll eat all the food – no problem. I can’t wait!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ.

Howdy Blogaroos! Squirmy here as we begin a new week – and as January is quickly coming to a close. You can actually see that the days ARE getting longer – although we’re still sleeping in until the sun comes up – and that’s still after 7:30 AM. Anytime before that, and we’re out walking wearing glow-in-the-dark harnesses – and we’re being blinded by the Warden’s headlamp.

Things here are pretty quiet since Aunt Sue left. I miss my favorite ricochet target- and the Coyote is particularly depressed – since she usually walked him. The Boss is also looking rather glum.

Aunt Sue remarked about how well we have trained the Warden. We all have our own special tricks that we have taught her. For example, the Boss lets everyone know when it’s time to eat – or time to go to bed, by barking. Non stop. No alarm clock needed to remind her of those actions.

The Coyote has trained her to let him out – either if he’s bored – OR he wants to eat snow. He jumps up on the patio doors to ask to be let out. Over and over.

Aunt Sue had a real challenge walking him when we had snow. All he wants to do is eat it. And then if he eats too much, he he barfs. So the Warden will not let him do it constantly. Aunt Sue had to be prepared when walking him that he would suddenly dive to grab a mouthful in the piles along the road. Her shoulder was sore the first day or two- but she quickly learned to read his pre-dive body posture. When he would grab a mouthful she would look at him and calmly explain “no buddy, don’t do that- it will make you sick.” He would look at her innocently with his snowy white face, take 5 steps and dive again.

As for my training – if I’m bored, or I think it’s too quiet, OR I’m hungry , I simply start throwing around metal food bowls. They are great for getting attention. If the bowls are not available, I go into the hallway- where we have a little bench. The bench has a built in box to store our dog leashes. So if I can’t make noise with the food bowls, I go in the hall and lift the seat on the bench- and drop it – which makes a loud “bam”. If that doesn’t work to get attention, I just keep doing it. BAMBAMBAM. That usually gets results.

We have the Warden SO well trained. It’s the house of chaos canines. That’s us. I like the sound of that. We sound like a rock group. The Chaos Canines.

On Friday this week, the Coyote is scheduled to go to the vet clinic to have a technician take his blood pressure. He’ll be suitably medicated a couple of hours before they go. My prediction? He’ll still squeal. Let’s place bets!

So far our winter has been pretty mild. We’ve had a few doses of snow – but then the temperature goes up, it rains and the snow is gone.

Larry, the plow guy has only been here three times so far. Although the snow has melted on the lawn, the PON spas remain. What are the PON spas? They’re the piles of snow left by Larry’s plow. They are now hard as rocks and suitably “seasoned” with yellow spots. Every chance we get, the Boss and I like to lie down and roll on them. It’s awkward because they are sloped – so we end up sliding onto the lawn. There we are – with legs flailing – just loving the chilly sensation. The Boss isn’t big on walking in deep snow, or wet snow- but give him a PON spa and he’s in heaven flailing like a beached whale. The joys of winter.

Well – I’m still writing this in the dark – but it will soon be time to get the band together. Let the chaos begin!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ.

Howdy blogaroos!!! It’s me! Obstreperous Wojtek here! How’s THAT for a big word?! The Warden has started getting these “word of the day” emails- even though she’s not sure how she signed up for them. It seems innocent enough, but the next thing ya know, she’ll be getting a charge on her credit card from a dictionary company. Weird how that happens…

Anyway- she laughed at the word obstreperous yesterday – because she said I could be the photo for the definition. It means “noisy and difficult to control.” Sounds about right. Call me Obie for short.

So how the heck are you all doing now that the evergreen is out of the house and the elves have been put on a shelf in a closet? Our Tannenbaum is currently lying in the yard – after it was heaved over the deck railing. The Warden will likely be finding needles in our coats for weeks – despite her best efforts to vacuum them up. Those needles hide in weird places – like a PON hiding when he knows he’s about to get a bath….

We’re doing great with 2024 so far. I mean we made no resolutions- so we’re not feeling guilty about anything!

Sue is still here for another day or two – and we’re loving having her here. Keith departed shortly after New Years Day – so the sisters could do sister stuff. Kind of like me and my brothers. They lounge around all day and eat whenever they feel the urge. Thank GOODNESS we dogs are here to give them some exercise. I’m not seeing much resolution keeping with those two.

Let’s see. What else….

Well some good news and bad news in the world of PONs and Picards. A friend lost her PON boy, Atticus, to the same illness that the Coyote has – Lyme nephritis. We feel so badly about it. His life was not nearly long enough – but full just the same. He has left a big hole in his human’s heart….

At the other end of the circle – we have seen a new puppy enter the world of Zan’s humans. As you may recall, Zan went to the Rainbow Bridge last year. But now a new chapter has begun – with the addition of a puppy by the name of Arrow. He’s actually my nephew!!!! I hope he remembers me on Uncles Day. The Warden gets updates about him and wonders how a puppy can be so well-behaved. I think he must be drugged.

And in the Picard world, a new Picard girl has found a home in New Hampshire- after a family lost their treasured Picard, named Beau. Beau was a therapy dog and a great ambassador for the breed- and we are happy to see that Rhunarbe will be following in his paw prints. Another happy beginning.

As for our Picard, – he had a recheck at the vet the other day. Bad news: it looks like any future visits will require that the Warden bring ear protection for all the clinic staff. Did I mention that the last time he went to the vet he would not stop squeaking? Yeah – well if it didn’t seem like it could get worse – it did. Not only did he squeak non-stop – he was so loud no one could hear themselves think. They couldn’t get an accurate blood pressure reading on him because he was so stressed – even though they did it in the car before he came in the clinic. He knew where he was. Even though the Warden had tried to fool him by driving a different route. I think she needs to blindfold him.

Anyway, despite the fact that the staff likely experienced a temporary threshold shift in their hearing (like being at a loud rock concert without ear protection) – they said he wasn’t the “worst” most vocal client. The Warden thinks they said that to make her feel better. At least that’s what she THINKS they said – her ears were ringing so who knows what they said.

BUT she DID understand from the vet – through a series of hand gestures and shouts- that the Coyote is holding his own- and his urine sample was even a bit better. His weight is stable- and he’s pretty much back to eating what he did before his illness began. He is totally defying the odds. He goes back for another check up at the end of March. The Warden has some medication to give him before the visit- to hopefully calm him a bit. I still think earplugs are a good idea….

What else….

Oh! I just saw that my brother, Ollie got a great new toy. Check it out:

https://www.collieball.com/collieball

As you MAY recall, we had something “similar” in our house. BUT someone learned to pull (and rip) the outer covering – and subsequently deflate the ball until it was a large piece of rubber in a dirty ripped up cover. It wasn’t NEARLY as much fun to play with in that state.

It SEEMS that THIS ball sounds more durable. We’ll wait to see how long Ollie’s lasts. Mind you – Ollie has stuffed toys that he doesn’t decapitate – so he may not be the best product reviewer. If anyone has info on the durability of this thing, let us know.

That’s all the main news for now. We hope your 2024 has started off brilliantly. We’ll try to be a bit more diligent in our updates – but we’re not making any resolutions. I was going to make a resolution to be better behaved- but WHO would I be kidding?!

Obie signing off!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ.

Howdy doody blogaroos. Squirmy here on the countdown to end 2023. Honestly, for us dogs, one day is just like the next – although we DO notice a difference in days when the clocks are changed. Particularly when we need to wait an extra hour for supper….Otherwise, every day is like Christmas to us! We celebrate getting up in the morning; we celebrate walks; we celebrate breakfast, snacks, supper,; we celebrate someone scratching our ears; we celebrate someone tossing a ball; we celebrate when we’re reunited with you – even if you just went into the bathroom; to sum it up – we celebrate life. Maybe not such a bad example for humans – especially when they are writing up their “resolutions” for next year.

2023 sure was an up and down year for us. While I continue to go to obedience classes, I didn’t enter trials like the Warden had hoped I would. While I did get a CARO Rally Novice title, I didn’t attempt any obedience trials. It MIGHT have something to do with my “visiting” during the stay exercises. When I first started my obedience training , that was a real problem. Then it seemed to go away. But guess what? Like a boomerang, it’s back. So the Warden says until she can feel 90% confident that I WILL stay, she’s not entering me in any trials. Maybe when I turn 10.

Nobody else in this household got any ribbons for anything either. But, really both the Coyote and the Boss have won a bigger prize- they are both here to see the New Year. The Boss has actually had very good health this past year, but he’s no Spring chicken anymore – so we party every month.

And as for the Coyote – holy moly he was one very sick dude. But against all odds, he is still here – lovin’ and livin’ a GOOD life. Every day he eats all his meals, we count it as a very good day. The Warden sent a Christmas greeting to the veterinarian who first saw him when he was so sick. She hasn’t seen him since then. Her response was “oh…my….goodness!” She was pretty surprised and happy that he’s still here. Thing is – she didn’t know he had well wishers and prayer warriors around the WORLD rooting for him. We want to thank YOU for having a role in him still being here.

Since Sue and Keith arrived we’ve enjoyed lots of walks, treats and ear scratches. It’s been awesome. Except for the Boss this morning….

It had snowed a few inches overnight and the world looked like a winter wonderland.

Unfortunately, despite the picture perfect backdrop, the snow was wet. And wet snow equals soccer ball sized snowballs on PON feet. The Boss did NOT want to walk. Sue was walking him – so she had to keep stopping to try and break up the snowballs.

The Coyote doesn’t seem to have as big a problem with snowball formation. Instead, he needs to be redirected from acting like a snowplow with his open mouth. He believes snow is meant to be eaten. And IF you eat enough, your innards freeze up and then you barf. But not to worry- someone will clean it up.

Meanwhile, while the Boss was walking like a wet bag of potatoes, and the Coyote was acting like a snowplow, yours truly was trotting along looking like a guy who rode his horse way too long. I was all bow-legged- but that didn’t stop me! Nothing stops me. I’m never tired. Ever. And stopping to take a photo does NOT make me happy…

But despite the less-than-peaceful walk for the humans, we canines DID enjoy ourselves. When the Boss knew we were headed for home, he definitely picked up the pace. Snowballs and all.

So here we are we bidding 2023 good-bye. Au revoir. Do widzenia. Adiós. Arrivederci. Auf Wiedersehen. Dag. Adjø. Hej då. Antio. Farvel. Sayonara. Dasvidaniya. Adeus. Namaste. Atiu. Do pobachennya.

We welcome 2024 – hoping it is filled with good health, lots of treats and happy memory-making moments!!!! We’re not making any resolutions- because we’ll likely break them by next week. Instead, we’ll keep it simple. Live large in 2024. Be grateful for every day – even when you’re weighed down with heavy snowballs. As long as you can still smile and wag – do it. Even for a minute.

Thanks for reading – see you next year!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ.

Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy here on December 26 – also known as Punching Day. At least that’s MY name for it. Other people call it Boxing Day. It’s the day after Christmas when everyone recycles their boxes. Or so they should. But that’s not REALLY why it’s called it. You can read about the origins of Boxing Day here:

https://www.almanac.com/boxing-day

Boxing Day is also a day when stores have big sales so that those dog toys you bought before Christmas- and which are now all chewed up – can be bought for a cheaper price! Except not in Nova Scotia. We don’t have Boxing Day sales until the day AFTER Boxing Day. Today everything is closed. Confused? Me too. Good thing I don’t shop!

We had a quiet Christmas. The Warden was home with us and we pretty much relaxed all day. BUT we also did open presents! You see us seriously waiting to grab them in the photo. You can’t see us shaking because it’s not a video. After the photo we were semi-calmly moved into the dining room where we shredded the paper. We got some cool chew things. At one point I decided they were all MINE. Guess what. They weren’t. And the Warden quickly reminded me that I need to share. Blah blah.

So it was a quiet Christmas- with the Warden spending an inordinate amount of time on the phone. “Catching up” with friends. Meanwhile we chewed our new toys.

But TONIGHT – Christmas happens AGAIN. Because Sue and Keith arrive!!!! Yee-haw!!! Ricochet targets return!!! We can’t WAIT!!!

We hope everyone had a lovely Christmas making merry memories. We hope you continue to enjoy this festive season for the next few days. Eat the cake and cookies and biscuits. Visit and call those you love. Don’t pee on the Christmas tree. And don’t break or destroy your new toys. At least not until the New Year.

OK. Gotta go for the morning walk – it’s finally light out. Hey – the days are getting longer! I’m spending every extra minute causing chaos. How about you?

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ.

Howdy blogaroos!! Squirmy here – on CHRISTMAS EVE!!!

I’m not sure WHERE December went, but by now all the stores look like they have been hit by a hurricane. Or a pack of hungry PONs looking for a treat.

Rumor has it that Santa MIGHT be bringing us some chew toys. It was suggested I put that on my list. So I’m thinking we MAY get some. The Warden and Santa seem to have some weird “connection.” Maybe because they are the same age.

I was discouraged from putting a puppy or kitten on the list – simply because “they” say Christmas is NOT a good time to get a pet. Bla bla.

I DO know SOMEONE who IS getting a PON puppy right after Christmas – but it’s a BIG secret. I can’t WAIT to blab the news!!!

Meanwhile, the Warden has stocked our fridge like we’re waiting for a pandemic. Something is up…Could it be company….

As we await Jesus’s birthday bash, I figured you could all use a neat dog- related Christmas story. Straight from Newfoundland, Canada. Give this one a read – and well, the video may bring a tear or two. (Don’t worry – nobody dies).

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/scott-jewison-christmas-surprise-1.7066360

We are all ready here for Santa, and we celebrate a melting pot of Christmas traditions in our house – combining our Polish, French, Canadian and American heritages. This website gives a great overview of international traditions- check it out (starting with Traditions in Poland) .

https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/poland

The Warden grew up with Wigilia on Christmas Eve. No meat was eaten – but the Warden never knew it was to remember the animals with Baby Jesus in the manger. Fish are OK to eat, because Baby Jesus had no aquarium. I particularly like the Polish legend that at midnight on Christmas Eve, animals can talk! If the Boss starts talking more than he already does, we are all in big trouble.

You know, I had a long want list for Santa, and then I started rethinking things. In September, we learned the Coyote was very, very sick – and honestly, the Warden wasn’t sure he would live to see Halloween…

At the same time, three years ago, the Vet said that with his heart condition, the Boss MIGHT live to see his 12th birthday. As you may recall, he turned 13 LAST January…

So Santa, I don’t REALLY need any toys this Christmas. While I don’t have any IN the house, I do have lots which I have managed to scatter outdoors.

Treats would be nice – but let’s face it, I get plenty every day.

I don’t want attire – I already have a suit that makes me look like some kind of weird gymnast and a raincoat that’s a nuisance to put on.

Instead of asking for anything else this year Santa, instead I would like to say THANK YOU. Thanks for granting my Christmas wish which I made back in October – that I would get to celebrate Jesus’s birthday bash with both the Coyote and the Boss. They are both here – living their best lives. The Warden says that’s the BEST gift ever. That and the fact that we all actually sat for this Christmas photo…

We won’t go into the specifics of how we got this shot. It involved some serious treats. And a stiff drink for the Warden when it was over.

We also ask Santa, that every single person reading this, has a joyful, happy Christmas. The gift of celebrating with those you love, is the greatest gift of all.

From me, the Coyote, the Boss and the Warden we wish you a very Merry, memory-filled Christmas! Thank you so much for reading ❤️

Wesołych Świąt! Joyeux Noël!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ.

Howdy blogaroos!!!! It’s me – Squirmy! Still here and still causing chaos!!!

I’m not sure Santa is going to be pleased with the current weather outlook here in Nova Scotia. It’s raining. And it’s windy. And more of the same tomorrow. And Wednesday. Santa will have to come in an ark.

Well it’s the time of year for the annual Christmas photos. Not a CHANCE we would ever go together to the Mall to pose with Santa. First off, the Warden would need another pair of hands to control us. Even then it could be sketchy. Remember the time she and Joanie took the Boss, the Coyote and Viktor to get a special blessing on St Francis day? The Coyote jumped out of the vehicle and took off. There was a commotion trying to catch him. When the dust settled and they were all under control, the Warden requested an exorcism before the blessing. Such great memories…

Anyway, taking us to the Mall is CLEARLY not possible. Seriously, do ya think I’d get any gifts if I tried to pull off Santa’s gloves. And all that fur on his suit? I’ve seen pictures. The guy is just asking to be swung around by a Malinois.

Anyway, the Warden thought instead of antlers, she would try mouse ears. Mouse ears! I guess in reference to “not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” There were ZERO photos worthy of a Christmas greeting.

Case in point, this beauty. Usually the Coyote just looks sad with head gear. Here he looks almost mad. And I’m definitely sneering. Even Mr Happy Picture Taker doesn’t look all that thrilled…

Here I stick out my tongue while the Coyote agrees to pose – for a profile shot:

Here the Coyote is smiling. Because he’s dreaming of me falling backward off the rock. And I can read his thoughts. The Boss is in poser mode.

So then the Warden concedes defeat – and actually rethinks the whole mouse thing. She admits it was a moment of Dollar Store weakness.

So then she decided to try individual shots with the wreath around our necks. Of course the Boss was a willing participant. And even the Coyote looked at her. But yours truly? I looked mad or sad in every shot. Here are a few examples:

She told me to smile. I wouldn’t. She can get the Boss to smile by telling him to speak. That’s her smiley trick with him. But me? I don’t speak on command. I prefer to talk when I initiate the conversation. So the Warden had this not so bright idea of having me play fetch a bunch of times. She figured I would be breathing with my mouth open after a few runs. And I was. And I looked smiley. Until she put the wreath around m neck. Then I wasn’t smiling. Not to mention the fact that every time I fetched the toy off the wet grass, my face got more and more dirty and wet. THIS was the result:

She had to quit and fluff me all up again and take me out later.when she got the photo you see above.

We know you like bloopers – so we decided to take a little trip down Christmas Memory Bloopers Lane. Enjoy.

And our all time favorite Christmas photo, entitled It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

The Warden says we are not done yet. She might not be – but trust me – we are. At least I am. And so is the Coyote. But the poser will do anything. Including this one.

Seriously. The guy will do ANYTHING for a treat. Needless to say, she didn’t try the box shot with me. Or the Coyote.

Apparently, Christmas baths are on the agenda this week. Does Santa REALLY care how we smell?! I mean those reindeer can’t exactly be fresh as a daisy!

OK. Enough for today. Happy last minute shopping!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ.

Yo. Blog people. Elroy here. You haven’t heard from me in some time because the Imp likes to blabber on more than moi, and well, I wasn’t feeling all perky and happy for a while there. As you probably know, I got bit by a tick and became pretty darn sick. Yo. I’m a poet. Anyway, I got tick sick.

As you may know, I’m not exactly what one would call a “foodie” at the best of times – and when I was sick, eating was the LAST thing on my mind. I lost about 12lbs in a very short time.

I want to forget my days in the vet hospital -although I definitely have PTVS- post traumatic vet syndrome – because now whenever I step into ANY vet clinic, I shake. And I squeak. Continuously.

Throughout the month of September and October, getting me to eat was like a science experiment. Or maybe an Olympic sport. That required LOTS of endurance. While I probably should have adhered to a low protein diet, that requirement went out the window. The goal was to get me to eat. Anything. Absolutely anything. Her Highness knows the people who work at every single pet store in the region – and probably every butcher shop too. And of course, the attempts to find something I liked, resulted in some pretty interesting bowel movements. If I do say so myself. Some of which were NOT very nice. Or controlled.

Yo. Enough about that. From September to the end of October, Her Highness accounted for every single calorie I ate. If I ate a biscuit, she checked the bag to see how many calories were in it. She wrote down EVERY morsel I ate. We never shared this – but in September, our vet had said that if I didn’t maintain a certain caloric intake, I would be “starving to death.” So Her Highness was on a mission to be sure that didn’t happen.

Now some days were pretty brutal – with her syringing liquid food into my mouth. It wasn’t nice for any of us. And finding things I would consistently eat was a challenge. Mind you – that’s ALWAYS been an issue for me. My tastes change. Rapidly.

There were – and continue to be, ups and downs in my eating. Like the past three days (leading up to my vet visit) I decided supper should be optional. But since November, I have generally been eating two meals and a bunch of snacks each day. I will eat sweet potatoes ANY TIME. And I feel good. I love to go for walks, and car rides and I still like wrestling with the Imp. As long as he doesn’t bite me. He’s a rough wrestler.

Anyway, today I went back to the vet. She had not seen me since mid-September.

Despite the fact that I practically needed to be dragged into the clinic, I did get on the scale. And I weighed 7 1/2 lbs more than the last time I was there. Call me the Hulk. Hardly – but a guy can dream. While I was waiting for the vet to come into the room, I literally shook from head to tail. And I squeaked. A loud squeak that could be heard throughout the clinic. Her Highness tried everything to calm me down. She tried petting me. Didn’t work. She tried cajoling me. Didn’t work. She gently held my muzzle. Didn’t work. She tried ignoring me. Didn’t work. I wanted OUT.

I was fine with the vet, although the entire time Her Highness and the vet were talking, it was over my incessant squeak. The vet examined me, and all seemed fine. She said she was pretty surprised to see how much weight I had gained. She wanted to do some blood tests and she also wanted to take a look at my pee. I was great for the technician who took my blood, and I willingly peed outside for another tech – whose hand I peed on. But she did catch enough in a bottle to analyze the yellow stuff.

The vet called a few hours later and she said “well- he’s defying the odds. His kidney values are better again.” Overall I had a few anomalies in my results – but as the vet said -“nothing horribly alarming.” So we stay the course. Her Highness will continue to jam 6 pills down my throat each day. Yeah – I have an incredible talent for finding pills in anything. Peanut butter. Bread. Pill pockets. Yogurt. Heck- I can even spit them out if you don’t put them all the way back in my throat. It’s my special talent. So they have to be jammed way in. I’m used to it.

So keep those prayers, healing vibes and positive energies coming this way. I thank each and every one of you who have sent them – they CLEARLY have worked. I’m defying the odds. Go figure. The Boss says that’s no surprise as I’ve always been odd.

Guess I can start thinking of a letter to Santa. And I MAY even pose for some Christmas photos. We’ll see….I’m not big on antlers.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ.

Howdy blogaroos! Remember us? Holy moly- we have been very tardy in writing lately. Not to worry – everything is fine. 

So what have we been up to? Well, the Christmas explosion has gone off at our house – and the place is FILLED with more Santas, elves, trees, Baby Jesuses, and ornaments than a Christmas market in Germany. We’ve watched the Warden lugging boxes around the house – usually while moaning and groaning. Fa la la la la. On Saturday, she hauled in the Christmas tree – purchased at a local tree stand. Why she didn’t just cut one down in the woods I’ll never know. Sure – the bought tree is pretty, but it’s so dense, it was hard to hang the ornaments. Lesson for next year. 

She set it up in the former DFZ. That’s Dog Free Zone in case you don’t know. But the name has changed. It’s now called Frodo’s Lounge. Once she started allowing him to go in, there was no stopping him. He rattles the gate to go in- even when she’s not in there. And trying to tell him “no” is fruitless. He is completely milking his “senior dog status” .  He refuses to take “no” for an answer. With everything. He just stares at her and persists at yelling out his demands. Whether it’s going into his Lounge, demanding a treat, or reminding her when it’s time for bed. Oh – and speaking of bed and sleeping- he has now entered into that phase of life where he sleeps SO soundly, you literally have to shake him to wake him up. The first time it happened, the Warden thought he was a goner – and then she realized he was snoring ever so quietly. When he sleeps, he SLEEPS. But back to the tree.

On Saturday night when it was placed in the stand, he walked in the room and was immediately annoyed. It was in the way of his “favorite snoring spot” and he didn’t know WHERE to settle. He wandered around the room, trying to find THE second best spot. He plopped down in a hmph. 

Yesterday, after the Warden lugged the ornaments from downstairs, he was even more annoyed. Now he had to navigate around boxes. The nerve of her impeding his movements. So what did he do? He plopped down two feet in front of the tree and spread himself out like a bear rug in his Lounge. As a result, the Warden had to literally  step over him to jam 4,000 ornaments on the tree. Half way through the ordeal, he made the task even more “fun” by letting out a series of aromatic “puffies” while asleep. Even the fragrance of the tree couldn’t mask that smell. The Warden held an ornament in one hand and the other hand grasped her nose. Meanwhile, he wasn’t the least bit aware of the challenges he was creating. Or maybe he was….

Today we got our first REAL snowfall.  It is deep AND heavy. The kind of snow that causes branches to bend with the weight. And snowballs in PON paws. Fun for a few minutes. And that’s about it – as we walk inside weighing 10lbs more.

The Coyote was the first one out for his walk. Everything looked so pretty and Christmasy. And it was picture perfect – until the Warden looked up our rather long driveway. Branches were bending over in a lovely arch. Creating a nature made tunnel. Now most people would say “awwww.” But not the Warden. She said something I can’t print here. And why the less-than-happy exclamation. Well. Early in the fall, the Warden contacted Larry, our very nice plow guy to see if he would be plowing again this year. Yes indeed, he was. He did mention to the Warden that he had a brand new truck, and he was asking that the trees along the driveway be pruned back two feet. Sure! Easy peasy. While Sue and Keith were here, they helped with the branch removal. The Warden contacted Larry to say it had been done. A few weeks later, Larry came by to see the results. He wanted more cut back. So, the Warden went out one day and pruned back more. She figured a tractor trailor could drive through, so it should be fine.

Until this morning. She had pruned back, but not up. As she’s walking the Coyote, she’s reaching up and shaking branches- causing an avalanche of snow on the two of them. The Coyote thought the whole snow thing was GREAT fun. He doesn’t care about snowballs on his feet or in private areas. The snow doesn’t seem to stick to him as much as us PON snow magnets. He didn’t want to come in after his short walk. 

Next it was the Boss’s turn. This time, the Warden armed herself with this long pruning thing- to grab and shake more branches. The Boss was NOT impressed with any of this. He trudged about 20 feet from the front door, barely squatted and pooped. He didn’t care to go further. So the Warden picked up his deposit and took him off leash. She knew he wasn’t going anywhere- and she proceeded to shake more branches. She worked her way up the driveway – while the Boss was lying in the snow supervising. She was all proud of her work until she stepped back and started second guessing if she had done enough. She brought the Boss in and when she took me out, she had clippers. I thought the snow was cool, but didn’t want to sit around supervising. I went back in the house after my walk while the clipping continued. 

A half hour later, the Warden came back in, sweating and with fogged up glasses. The wonderful Christmas tree scent was now overpowered by the smell of wet dogs. We love winter.

What else is new? The Coyote has a vet appointment on Thursday- just to check his status. Overall, he is eating OK – although he has become a bit “spoiled” with “toppers” on his kibble. No toppers. No eat. He eats half his breakfast when he gets up. And the other half mid-morning. Supper is the same. He eats half – and then it’s anybody’s guess of he’ll eat the other half at bedtime. There’s been a LOT of begging going on some nights. But it’s not for lack of appetite. Because he has one new FAVORITE thing (besides bully sticks) that he will NEVER refuse. Even after he refuses his meal. Sweet potatoes. Yeah – those dehydrated, dried pieces of orange goodness. He absolutely LOVES them. We were going through so many bags of sweet potatoes that the Warden decided she had to make her own. A small bag (which in this house can be gone in three days) is like $15 – so she had to do something. She doesn’t own a dehydrator- so she just sliced them and baked them in the oven at 250 for like 3 hours. They are not EXACTLY like the ones you buy – the store bought ones seem more tough to chew. But, the Coyote doesn’t care. He LOVES when she takes the bin out of the refrigerator. They say they can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks. But they are usually gone in three days in this house. Two GIANT potatoes, when thinly sliced will fill three baking sheets. BUT they do shrink. A LOT.  Still – they are a cheaper alternative to the store bought kind. See me for more recipe ideas. Who am I kidding? We PONs don’t need recipes. Just give us the raw ingredients- we’ll eat anything.

Speaking of which, when the Warden was FINALLY putting the ornament boxes away last night, she had a huge pile and dropped one. When she put the other boxes down, she returned for the dropped box. Yours truly was no where to be seen. Which she thought was odd, given my curiosity about ANYTHING. She picked up the box, which had some cotton batting that had been wrapped around the ornament. Just as she picked it up, I raced by with my jaws clenched tightly. But she could see tiny bits of white stuff on both sides of my mouth. Prying my jaw open to get the cotton batting was no easy task. “And that’s why you aren’t allowed in while I’m decorating,” she exclaimed . Who is she kidding. While she’s decorating? I’m not allowed in Frodo’s Lounge EVER. Probably because I do stuff like using the sofa as a trampoline. And I love to steal pillows. 

Haven’t started my letter to Santa yet. I have more research to do first. In this household, it’s critical to read reviews on any dog toys. They basically have to say they are approved for play by pack of hyenas and an angry grizzly bear to withstand the wrath of us guys. Hey – maybe I could start doing reviews and they could be “Wojtek approved.”  Mind you- the list would be small.

OK. Time to squeak to go out. Just because we can.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe, JBJ.